Against All Odds
by Emerald Night
Summary: CONCLUSION POSTED! He had constantly hurt her by clinging to the past and she had loved him unconditionally for who he was...it would take her leaving for Inu Yasha to finally discover the woman who held his heart...Songfic!
1. Against All Odds

DISCLAIMER:  I do not own any of the characters of Inu Yasha neither do I own the lyrics to the song "Against All Odds"… ::sigh:: …one can only dream  (:

**Against All Odds **

_How can I just let you walk away, just let you leave without a trace_

_When I stand here taking every breath with you_

He had been bitter, angry, and cold.  His heart had been frozen, the agony of betrayal and the pain of a tragic loss had been the ice that chilled his soul.  For 50 years he remained unmoving, pinned to a tree by the arrow of his lost love.

For a long time he could only hate her, the beautiful miko who had tempted him to fully embody what he had always viewed a weakness, for a moment he had wanted to be human, for her, for them, and for the life they could have.  

But their love had been doomed from the beginning.  The love in their hearts had not been enough to overcome the deceit that eventually destroyed them.  

Love made him weak, it made him vulnerable, it was the reason he was pinned to a tree, defenseless and powerless.

His heart had been broken, his heart had been lost, he never wanted to experience love again, not when its beauty had been shadowed by pain and betrayal.  No, he would never love again.

That had been his vow, the promise he had made to himself, he wanted to be strong.  Love had a way of crippling a man; he knew it all too well.

But then she had come into his life, a bright ray of sunlight in a dark and gloomy world.  She who had the face of another, she who made him remember everything he had wanted so desperately to forget

Kagome, that was her name; a strange girl from a different world.  Despite the uncanny resemblance to the woman of his past, there was something about her that made her different, made her unique.  Maybe it was the way she smiled, or the way she always put the happiness of others before her own.  But maybe it was the way her eyes seemed to sparkle with warmth and innocence.  Yes, that was it, innocence, his lost love had never possessed the innocence, the purity of the girl he thought of now.

She had become a part of his life.  Together they hunted for the shards of the Shikon no Tama, the jewel his beloved died protecting, and they battled the evil that had destroyed his life.  She sacrificed so much to be with him and perhaps that is why she touched him so deeply, she sacrificed to be with him.  She never asked him to change who he was, never asked him to become the weakness he fought so hard to ignore.  She accepted him in every way.

He had hurt her so much over the years, he saw it in her eyes, heard it in her voice.  Every time he called the name of the one he lost, every time he stubbornly refused to let go of the past, he broke her heart.  For some reason he had never been able to let go of the love that was dead long ago.

And that was why she was leaving, returning to the world she belonged, returning to the family that loved her.

_You're the only who really knew me at all_

She had come to know him, she had come to know his heart.  She understood his need for vengeance and his desire to become a full demon.  She knew he cared about her but could never find a way to express it.  She tolerated his rude and crass behavior because she knew he never really meant it.  No matter how much it hurt her she understood his attachment to the past, she accepted it, she never held it against him.

On the night of the new moon, when his cursed hanyou blood turned him into a human, she would sit with him, never speaking a word, silently giving him comfort in the only way he would accept it.

Kagome knew him so well.

_How can you just walk away from me_

_When all I can do is watch you leave_

He had followed her to the well.  Their journey over, the jewel complete, the monster Naraku defeated her job was done and her family was waiting.  She had said her good byes and he had seen the look in her eyes as she talked to him.

Her eyes pleaded for him to make her stay, to give her reason to stay.  She loved him, he knew that. His heart screamed for him to say the words that would keep her by his side forever, but his head refused them to be spoken.

She deserved someone better, someone who could love her completely, and someone whose heart was not shadowed by that of another.

That is why he had simply stood there as she hugged him, why he stood motionless as the tears spilled from her eyes and she walked away from him.  He could only watch her leave.

But as soon as her figure disappeared among the trees of the forest, he had run after her, not knowing why.

Now he watched as she stood beside the well, staring down into its depths as if deciding whether or not to jump in.  He wanted her to stay, he longed for her ]to stay, but he had no right to ask.

_I wish I could just make you turn around, turn around and see me cry_

It hurt, it hurt more than he had ever imagined to watch her stand there, heart broken and about to walk out of his life.

The tears fell silently down his cheeks, he had never cried before, not even when his first love had betrayed him, not even when she had died.  What he felt now was a bone deep sorrow, a heart wrenching agony that came from knowing that he was losing the one thing, the one person, who made him feel alive, made him whole.

He knew she believed that he still loved another, but if she could just see him cry she would know, his heart belonged to her and it always would.

_There's so much I need to say to you_

_So many reasons why_

He wanted to tell her why he had held on, he wanted to tell her why he had never revealed his true feelings.  He had done it all for her, watching her heart break more every day was killing him, she didn't deserve that.  He was afraid that if she stayed he would just continue to hurt her and eventually her heart would break completely.

Her spirit would dim, her fire die, and warmth cool, just as his had once.  He had become hard, he had been cold, to watch her become what he had been was his worst nightmare.

He had so many explanations, so many reasons for acting the way he did.  But she didn't\t deserve half-hearted reasons, she deserved love, pure and simple, and that he could not give.

_Take a look at me now_

_There's just an empty space_

She had become his other half, without her he was empty and he was alone.  He would be forced back into the gray and dismal world he had lived in before she had some and lit up his world and his life.  

Without her he had nothing to live for, no sunshine and laughter to look forward to, no love to warm his heart.

Her absence would leave a void that would never be replaced.

_Take a look at me now_

_Because I'll still be standing here_

_And you coming back to me is against all odds, it's the chance I've got to take_

She turned his way, almost as if she sensed his presence there, hiding among the trees, in the shadows just beyond her reach.

As she stood there, desperate hope shining in her eyes, he let his gaze roam over her features one last time.

He raven black hair fluttered in the wind, the silky tendrils falling across her cheek, her rosy lips parted slightly, as if she wanted to call out, call for him, and her eyes, the brilliant sapphire depths of them sparkled, her eyes would forever haunt him.

He knew that as long as he live his mind would never erase, never forget, the pure beauty of her face.

Then she was gone, in a flash of green she was gone from this world, from his life.  Only then did he allow himself to step out into the clearing she had stood in.

He walked over to well and looked inside, hoping against hope that she would be there, smiling up to him demanding him to help her up.

He missed her already and she had been gone only for a moment, yet it felt like a lifetime.

As he stood there he felt the words he had never allowed himself to speak begin to rise from the depths of his soul, screaming for release.

"I love you Kagome" he whispered into the emptiness of the well, finally giving voice to the emotion that had taken root in his heart long ago.

He pushed himself off of the well and walked away, the ghost of a smile touching his face.  Their love was strong and their love was true.

He would wait for her, that was all he could do now and that would be enough. 

He would be standing there the day their love brought her back to him.


	2. You're Still You

DISCLAIMER:  I do not own any of the characters of Inu Yasha nor do I own the lyrics to the song "You're Still You"…  ::sigh:: ...maybe someday…lol

**Author's Note:  **Thank you to all those who reviewed the first chapter to this fic…"Against All Odds" thanks to your encouragement I was inspired to write the sequel and I'm glad I did…this is the way it should end…enjoy!

**You're Still You**

_Through the darkness I can see your light_

500 years was long time to travel the path of life alone, it was a long time to wait for the one he dreamed of, the one he longed to hold one more time.

The years had been long, an endless eternity that he had prayed to end.  For 500 years he walked in the dark tunnel of time.  Every day, every month, every year brining him one step closer to the light at the end, the prize that was just out of his reach.

The passage of time was truly an amazing thing.  Over the long years he had seen so much.  Youkai began slowly disappearing, humans taking their place as technology lent them strength, creating a world so different than the one he had known, the one he had known with her.

_And you will always shine and I can feel your heart in mine _

Like a star in the sky she had continued to shine, leading the way, lighting the path to the future, the one that would bring him to her.

After she had left he found himself aimlessly wondering the land with no purpose, no goal.  Often times he found himself protecting a village, a child lost and alone in the forest, or a group of traveling humans, from the vicious youkai who fed on their blood, Tetsusaiga fulfilling its destiny by protecting them.

She would have been so proud of him.  The thought brought a smile to his face, she had always known that deep down inside he cared about humans and he wanted to protect him.

So he had wandered across the land, slaying any demon who dared attack the race of his beloved.  Soon he became legend among the villagers, when the familiar red of his clothing was spotted on the outskirts of a town, the children would come running, their parents not too far behind, enthusiastically chanting his name and inviting him to say.  Because they knew as long as he stayed, no harm would befall them.

He had come to appreciate the fact that he was a hanyou.  The bitterness and hate he once held for the blood that made him an outcast faded away.  He silently thanked that which allowed him to feel compassion for humans and also gave him the ability to protect them.  It was a blessing; she had helped him realize that despite her absence.  It had all started with her after all; she was the first human he had sworn to protect with his life.

500 years later he had made a name for himself.  Tetsusaiga Pharmaceuticals was on the cutting edge of technology and was the largest supplier of the most desperately needed vaccines and medicines.  He was one of the wealthiest and widely respected men in the world.

No longer able to protect humans in the more traditional sense he had created the company, giving it the name of his fated fang.  His way of saving and healing the race he had sworn to protect.

Tetsusaiga Pharmaceuticals had given him a purpose, what had initially started as a means of filling the time had transformed into something far more important, something vital.

_"The Sword of Humanity" _Such a catchy slogan, he had come up with it himself, proud of his cleverness.  There were few who understood the connection, very few who understood why it was so close to his heart.

Tetsusaiga.  He had retired the fang; it lay in a gleaming glass case in his home for all to see.  Battered and old, its rusty and fragile appearance concealed the potent and lethal power within.

The power…he remembered it well.  The adrenaline and the rush that came with the knowledge that he held the ability to effortlessly and completely destroy in one clawed hand.  Yes, the memory was strong, the feel of the hilt, the familiar weight of the blade, and the sensations that stirred his blood.  The Tetsusaiga had been a part of him, an extension of his physical body.

It had been a long time now, over 100 years since he had held it in hand, more than a century since he had tasted its power.

Sighing, he shook his head and looked out the window of one of his many high rise offices.  The skyline marred by monstrous buildings, cold and unfeeling heaps of steel and stone.  He missed the pure and wild beauty of Feudal Japan.  Who was he kidding?  He missed her.

Kagome.

His wealth and his looks attracted the most beautiful woman in the world.  But their beauty was always lost on him.  Their smiles never bright enough, their eyes never the right shade of blue, and their laughter devoid of the musical innocence he had come to cherish.  In then end they were simply not her.

Despite the centuries she still held his heart captive, it lived to love her.  His only comfort came in knowing, or perhaps wishfully praying that her heart was just as bound, just as unable to love another as his.

_Your face I've memorized_

_I idolize just you_

He could never escape her; although he wasn't sure he ever wanted to.  He dreamt of her, every night for 500 years she had haunted his dreams.  Her face, the last image thing he saw before he fell asleep and the first when awoke.

The image of her had not faded over the years.  Sometimes, when he walked through the park alone, the sweet scent of sakura blossoms would drift his way and for a moment she would be standing before him, vivid and real.  Every time he reached for her, his elusive love, but his hands only grasped empty air and her image would vanish, painfully reminding him that he was alone.

He dreaded spring; the light and airy scent of sunlight and flowers that filled the air, it made the ache stronger and the pain sharper.

This was his penance, his punishment for letting her go all those years ago.  This was the price he paid for letting the love of a lifetime slip through his fingers.  Despite the loneliness he had no choice but to be grateful.  He had been given a second chance, a miracle.  So all he could do was wait, and he had, patiently for 500 years.

But the wait was over, she was here, he could feel it with every breath, every beat of his heart.

_I've loved you for so long and after all is said and done_

_You're still you_

She was there, on her knees before the very shrine that had brought her to him.  He shoulders trembled slightly, the soft and sad sounds of weeping reached his ears.  She was crying, crying for him.

The reality of what was happening was remarkable and completely unbelievable.  She was heartbroken, the sobs becoming louder as the pain overwhelmed her.  She had just left him; he knew that on the other side of that well he was there, whispering his words of love into the depths of an empty well.  For her the agony was still fresh, the wounds still raw.  For him it had dulled and become numb, but then he had 500 years to deal with the loss, she had had only minutes.

To see her there in the familiar white and green uniform, the years began slowly melting away, time stopped and he was transported back to a place where he had never been without her.

Then she stood and turned his way, eyes filled with tears and glazed with pain she did not see him standing there, hiding in the darkness, silently watching her.  

One pale shaft of moonlight illuminated her face, bringing alive the memory and image that had stayed with me so long.  Her sapphire eyes had darkened in sadness, the rosy tint of her cheeks paled in grief as tears trailed down her face, and her mouth frowned, hiding the warmth he knew lay inside her.  But she had not changed, the sorrow that lined her features only making her that much more beautiful.

He smiled, his first genuine and warm one in 5 centuries, it had been worth the wait, it had been worth it all just to see her face again.

_You walk past me and I can feel your pain_

She walked towards him, her feet unconsciously bringing her closer to the one she believed she had just lost.  The anguish that surrounded her was so potent that it was tangible, he could feel her pain and he understood it.  The tortured depths of her eyes the very reflection of the agony he had felt on that day.  

He reached out to touch her, wanting to confirm that she was not a dream, that she was here, real and alive.  The feathery touch of his finger on her cheek snapped her out of her heartbroken haze, bringing her eyes to focus on his face.  For her she was seeing him again less than a day after her departure.  For him it was much longer than that, he had waited for this moment, and now it was upon him.

_Time changes everything but one truth always stays the same_

_You're still you_

At the sight of him, so many emotions lit her face: shock, disbelief, confusion, and finally pure, complete and utter joy.

Yes…this was the girl who he remembered; the one who could not hide her emotions from him, the one who had worn her heart on his sleeve, the one who had loved him.  

Times had changed, he had changed, the world had changed.  But, as she enthusiastically threw her arms around him and he felt the warmth of her body in his embrace, the only important thing had remained the same.  Their love had been the one constant he could count on, the one truth, the one reality he had always unequivocally believed in.  

_And I believe in you although you never asked me to_

She had never asked him to wait, never asked him to love her until they met again, neither had he asked it of her.  The plea had been there though, silent and powerful in their eyes, both had refused to ask, yet both had believed.

For 500 years he kept the fire of their love alive, refusing to let it die, refusing to let it be forgotten.  He had believed in its power and its strength, and he had been right.

_And in this cruel and lonely world_

_I found one love_

Neither spoke, each fearing that the harshness of words would break the dream they found themselves in, the dream that had finally come true.

Instead Inu Yasha did what he had dreamed of doing since the moment they had met, he tasted her.  He twined his fingers through the silken strands of her hair and brought his lips to hers, they were soft and they were sweet, just as he had always known they would be.  He nibbled at her bottom lip, begging access to the treasures he knew lay beyond.  On a sigh her lips parted and he delved his tongue into the heat that was her, deepening the kiss and drawing sensuous moans of pleasure from her, or perhaps they were coming from him.

Pulling away slightly he looked down into her face, now illuminated with joy and love.

"I love you…Inu Yasha" she whispered dreamily.  Her soft declaration infused him with warmth and filled the void she left 500 years before.

Cupping her cheek he wiped away a stray tear drop with his thumb and smiled.

"I love you…Kagome" he replied just as softly before bending down to taste the sweetness he had finally discovered.

Time had not weakened their love, it had not dimmed it.  Their love had remained strong and true.  500 years after they had fallen for each other they were here again, together, but this time it would be forever.

_You're still you_

The lovers stayed that way, embraced in the moonlight, taking comfort and finding joy in the love they thought they had lost.

But they hadn't lost it, it had always been there, traveling through the centuries until it could bloom once again.

Their life together had just begun.


End file.
